


Bibliotaph

by softsocks (orphan_account)



Series: Words Rule Our Hearts [8]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Books, Budding Romance, Dan Is A Petal Prince, M/M, Reading, book lovers, bookshops, flirty Phil, punk!phil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 18:36:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5836387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/softsocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'a person who caches or hoards books'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bibliotaph

**Author's Note:**

> The usual "I own nothing but these words written in a creative aspect" disclaimer. Every author mentioned I have either read, or desperately yearn to read, and the specific book mentioned is one I am currently reading. I suggest anyone who gets a chance to read it, does. Because it's amazing.
> 
> Also not going to lie - Dan is mostly based off my experiences (where books are concerned.)

There was something undeniably exciting about the smell of books.

Not the musk of books long since packed away, books where dust has to be blown off the cover to even read the title. Nor the plastic smell of cheaply printed ones.

But instead, the nice, crisp wisp that envelopes a nose when it is pressed against the inked paper, inhaling the scent of long-winded tales and stories of adventure and romance and mystery.

 _That smell_ , is what first attracted Dan to books.

He was six, and his teacher had finally allowed him to venture past the specified reading-level books his classmates were still flicking through. He only got as far as the barely-100 page slim novels, but he devoured them regardless, week after week.

Eleven years later, he was still emotionally-invested in books, and their characters, and his library card - whilst faded and slightly bent from that one unfortunate washer-incident - was still in frequent use.

And, more often than not, the books he - quite literally - kept cluched tightly to his chest, were his only escape from the horrors of the real world. He could pretend that he wasn't ducking under the fists of bullies who hated him for being a nice person, by worming his way under the skin of warriors and people fighting physical monsters, problems bigger than the ones he would ever face.

It made his day-by-day struggle a little easier.

* * *

Dan knew that his ... outfit choices, didn't exactly help the problem of most of his grade seemingly despising him.

However, he also figured that by this point, everyone hated him, so he might as well just dress for himself.

And if homemade flower crowns - on the days he could be bothered- and pastel sweaters with skinny jeans and the occasional scarf made him feel even minutely good ... well then stuff everyone else' opinions. They could keep it to themselves.

Not that they ever did.

* * *

 

"It's almost pitiful, how much you don't care about how stupid you look in these - _things_."

Dan resisted the urge to roll his eyes, as his violet and lily flower-crown was dragged off his head, and spun around the wrist of David - AKA Head Asshole.

"Oh, I suppose this is the part where you say it's 'art' or something, right?" David asked, brushing his no-doubt filthy fingers over the soft felt petals.

"No. Just, for it back, considering it obviously doesn't interest you."

David appeared to almost-consider the idea, before shaking his head, a rueful grin directed purely at Dan.

"No, that would be far too easy, and pointless. You'd just put it back on your stupid head and continue to look like an idiot. You know, I'm only trying to help you, Dan."

"Sure you are." Dan scoffed.

He didn't even flinch when David threw his hair accessory into the nearest bin. He'd expected it to be squashed under David's foot first, he must be having a better day than Dan.

"Don't make life so hard for yourself, Dan." David said, before he waltzed off, no doubt into the adoring arms of his bimbo girlfriend.

Who was cheating on him, apparently. Dan didn't usually waste his time paying attention to most-likely half-truth rumors, but his ears perked when they were about his former best friend.

Who, as he kept telling himself, didn't care about him anymore, and therefore shouldn't even cross Dan's mind anymore. Other than when Dan was trying to avoid him, of course.

David had done a complete 180 and abandoned Dan, and rightfully Dan should do the same thing. If David so obviously didn't want to be friends with him, and was willing to stoop to such low levels as destroying his property, then Dan should sever all bonds right away.

Which, not surprisingly, was easier said than done.

* * *

 

Dan was overdue for books.

Not in the sense he had any outstanding loans to the library - his record was squeaky clean - but he hadn't bought a new book in months, and he was really feeling it. He hadn't read a new book in weeks either, school taking more of his time than he'd like it to, and it was the combination of those two factors that spurred him to enter the bookstore, that would soon alter his life, on his walk home.

He'd taken a different route this time, not necessarily shorter, but much further from the school and the more well-travelled path that most students took. Which meant, that the bookstore he found and promptly entered, was not one he'd come across before. The bell above the door rang when he opened it, and it reminded him of his grandmother's chimes, that would twinkle in the daylight and spin by the breeze of winds.

It gave the bookstore an immediately homely-feel, which was something that Dan basked in. There were shelves everywhere, lining the walls and sectioned in rows throught the wide and long room. Soft music - Muse, Dan connected with delight - filtered throughout speakers in the corners of the ceiling. There were even small tables and chairs scattered throughout the seemingly endless space.

He knew, even having only been in the store for a few seconds, that it would certainly not be the last time he stepped past the twinkling chimes.

In fact, he might have just found his new favourite place.

* * *

 

Dan spent a fair few minutes - more than he would probably ever admit - simply running his fingers along the spines of the books slotted onto the shelves. It didn't matter to him that he had no interest in some of the books, the encyclopedia's didn't hold very high on his to-read list, he simply enjoyed the feel as he traced across them, the difference between hard-covers and paperbacks, old and new.

He'd always loved books, but entering bookstores or libraries, where he's surrounded by them ... that always made him fall just a little bit more in love with them.

After all, it wasn't like he had an actual _person_ to fall in love with yet.

Some people had cats. Or shoes.

Books were _his_ substitute.

It was only after Dan had travelled around the room, and likely ran his hands across the shelves twice, that he decided to actually _look_ for a book to read. He quickly came across an irritating problem, however - not a newfound one, but something that annoyed him nonetheless.

There were too many books for him to choose from.

This oftened happened - despite having a bookshelf and a whole cardboard box to hoard his beloved novels, not to mention the half-a-dozen scattered over his eternally-cluttered desk, he always lusted after more and more new ones - and the more he looked, the more intriguing books he seemed to find.

_Rowell, Green, Smith, Lockhart..._

Dan sighed as he scanned the books in front of him. He'd thought, if he stuck purely to the YA section, skipping past the fantasy section that always dragged him under, he'd find it easier to pick at least one book, or at least one author.

But even the books he already had on his shelves at home were calling out to him, and he was finding it unbelievably hard to resist their call.

_Perkins, Foreman, Bray, Zhang..._

There was a coughing sound behind him, and Dan spun around, completely surprised to what he found himself in front of. Or, rather, who.

_Ridiculously hot guy who would be scary without such a bright smile..._

"Uh, h-hi."

The guy, presumably an employee - although the piercings and tattoos and partially-blue fringe would break most outfit-codes-of-conduct - smiled widely, and Dan could have sworn he was blushing. He wondered if it worked, aesthetically speaking, with his peach sweater and grey skinny-jeans combo.

Probably not.

"Hi."

_Oh god, his voice, his voice._

"Can I help you?" The unbelievably attractive guy asked, and Dan snuck a glance at the black-and-white nametag that spelled his name as _Phil._

"Uh, no, th-thank you. I was just looking for, a book, obviously."

Dan resisted the urge to physically slap himself in the face for being such an awkward dork of a person. Phil laughed, and it was deep and rich, and oddly complimented his otherwise terrifying exterior.

Although Dan could in no way deny the attractiveness of his lip and eyebrow piercings, nor the ones strung up the lobes of both his ears. He didn't want to even venture along the tattooed sleeves covering his arms, that would possibly be the death of him.

Phil looked at the book in Dan's hands, _'another day'_ \- he'd read the first one before, twice, being an obsessive-Levithan fan - and nodded in approval.

"Excellent choice. Although, if I may make a suggestion..."

He paused, waiting for an indication from Dan. Dan nodded, and Phil's slim fingers skimmed over the spines on the shelf until he found the one he was looking for. It wasn't very long, about as thick as John Green's novels, but the look of excitement on Phil's face captured Dan immediately.

"This, is one of the best books I have ever read." Phil told him, completely serious, and there was a spark in his eyes that Dan recognised. It was one of awe in a book, and that spoke good things for the novel in Phil's hands.

"Here," Phil said, handing it over. "Just read the blurb. Tell me what you think."

The book was called _I'll Give You The Sun_. The cover alone struck a chord in Dan, and he skimmed the back so fast he was practically devouring the words.

"Wow" Dan gasped. He knew that he would be buying the book in his hands, without a doubt.

"I know." Phil replied. His azure eyes sparkled behind the dark lines around his eyes, and Dan blamed the shock of the book on the way his heart skipped in his chest.

"It's honestly a whirlwind. The writing is beautiful and the artwork is so beautiful and different."

"Well," Dan said, smiling despite the flutter of his heart. "I think I have found my book."

"Only one?" Phil asked.

He seemed to hear back the words he spoke, his cheeks brightening bashfully. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, peering at Dan underneath the strands of his blue-tinged fringe.

"I don't mean to push you into buying another book, you just seem like me - where it's almost impossible to simply get _just one book_."

"Oh, I am most certainly that person." Dan admitted. Phil looked up, and Dan shrugged.

"I was kind of hoping to just sneak off before I could get enticed by any more attractive novels, but you seem to have foiled my plans."

Phil, thankfully, recognised Dan was joking, and laughed.

"I'm only saving you from the time-waste of trying to convince yourself that you _in no way need that one other book_ because you _have enough already_."

Dan laughed, for once not thinking about what he was doing or how it would look to the outside world. He stopped, once he noticed Phil looking at him, with a strange expression on his face. It wasn't a bad look, Dan just couldn't work out what it was or why Phil was looking at him the way he was.

"What?" He asked, worried there was something on his face, or worse, his laughing had actually sounded like a choking donkey and therefore disgusted Phil.

Because Dan couldn't think of anything positive as an explanation.

"Nothing, you just -" Phil sighed, but it wasn't a heavy, or a sad one. It was simply an exhale of breath.

"You have a really nice laugh." Phil admitted, and there was nothing but honesty in his voice. Despite that, Dan had trouble believing him.

"No, I don't." He said, ducking his head bashfully.

"Yeah, you kinda do."

Phil moved his hand, almost as though he was going to reach out to touch Dan. He didn't, his hand falling to his side moments after, and Dan found himself somewhat disappointed.

"Is there anything else you want to get?" Phil asked, fiddling with the skin of his wrist. It looked like he was pulling at his tattoos, as though they were actually stick-on and by doing so he'd manage to tear them off.

Much to Dan's hidden delight, the inked drawings remained on Phil's arms.

"Uh, no. Thanks to you, I think I have enough for ... the next week, at least." Dan said, laughing quietly, juggling the books in his hand. The one that Phil had suggested was thicker than _another day_ , so it went on top.

"I hope that means you'll return for more." Phil said, and there was a second where their eyes locked gazes, and Dan could have sworn Phil was leaning in ... until he grinned and practically spun on his heel, providing Dan with only one choice but to follow him to the registers.

Dan bit his bottom lip and snuck a shy smile as Phil scanned his books, slipping them both into a brown cardboard bag. Phil paused, pursing his lips slightly as he scanned the register desk.

"Ah-hah." Phil exclaimed, pulling a rectangular-paper thing that looked suspiciously like...

"A bookmark, so you never forget what page you're on." Phil said, winking as he slipped the bookmark into the bag.

"Hate it when that happens." Dan joked, and Phil's nod acknowledged that he understood Dan was in fact being completely serious.

"So, your total comes up to $18.95." Phil declared, and Dan narrowed his eyes slightly, because surely it would have cost more than that.

He loved books, but it was a simple fact of life that they were never cheap, unless you bought them secondhand and five-years old, or from a friend. And even then it was extremely rare.

"That can't be right..." Dan muttered, pulling out his wallet anyway.

"Well, it is." Phil said. He sounded a little nervous, though, and Dan raised his eyebrows slightly. He wasn't exactly doubting Phil, but it was still a little odd.

"Okay, so maybe I used my discount card. _Maybe_." Phil admitted sheepishly, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck.

Doing so revealed to Dan just how far up his arms Phil's tattoo's reached, and he was curious as to whether they graced his shoulders and chest too, curious as to just how far they went.

The further his mind wandered, the hotter Dan's cheeks grew. The fuzzy feeling in his stomach got stronger when Phil's words, and actions, fully settled in.

"You didn't have to do that." He said.

Phil shrugged. "I know, but I wanted to."

"Thank you." Dan said, because he realised how ungrateful he sounded, which he wasn't, he just hadn't expected such a nice gesture from someone he hardly knew.

"You're welcome." Phil said, and then he handed the bag over, and Dan handed him the money, and it suddenly hit him that the exchange signaled the end of their interaction.

"I appreciate your help today." Dan said, shifting his weight because he really didn't want to go just yet, but he also didn't see many other options.

"I appreciate your business." Phil joked, before adding. "And, your bookworm comraderie."

"I suppose that means I should come back here more often." Dan said, and he hoped that it came across as borderline flirting and not creepy, because he'd never been good at flirting, never that good at the whole romance thing either, truth be told.

But there was something exciting about Phil, excluding the tattoos and piercings and love of books. Something that called out to Dan, that intrigued him. There was more to Phil than met the eye and Dan had a compelling urge to find out what it was.

"I'd like that." Phil said, honestly, and Dan was almost grateful for the desk between them, because he had a feeling that if he and Phil were any closer the weakness in his knees would overpower him and he'd probably fall over.

Which would be horrifically awkward and unbelievably embarrassing.

"Guess I probably should then." Dan said, walking backwards, impossibly slow, because he knew that he had to go, his mum was expecting him home eventually, but that didn't make leaving any easier.

"Probably." Phil said, not making a move himself. His grin was wider though, Dan thought, and his eyes were sparkling like sapphires.

Which was one of the most poetic and ridiculously romantic things Dan had ever thought about someone before. Which proved that Phil was even more special than Dan had first believed.

"Maybe tomorrow." Dan said, a mere few metres away from the door with the chiming bells.

Phil nodded, and he must have been pretty amused by Dan's behaviour, because he put his elbows on the desk, his hands beneath his chin.

"That would be nice." Phil said, and the quietness to his voice should have been an indication to Dan about how far away he was, but he was too busy focusing on Phil's smile and the way it made him feel.

Until he backed into the door, narrowly missing the handle - although his back still ached slightly from the force. Phil laughed, and Dan's cheeks burned, but there was nothing menacing about Phil's reaction. It was teasing, nothing more.

Even Dan had to admit it was an unfortunate but amusing situation.

"As you can see, I am full of graceful exits." Dan said, half-bowing.

Phil nodded, feigning seriousness. "Like a ballerina."

Dan smiled, self-consciously reaching up to pat his flower crown. It was one of his favourites, pink and white to match his sweater.

"I like it." Phil says, indicating Dan's accessory with a touch to his own head. "It suits you."

Dan smiled, waving goodbye before he could embarrass himself in front of Phil any more, his cheeks already scorched from the amount of blushing he had done.

It wasn't until he got home, that he saw the note Phil had left him, scrawled onto the back of the receipt in erasable pencil.

 

_XXXX - XXX - XXX_

_My number - - if you ever want to talk about books ... or anything, really. :) x_

 

Dan couldn't figure out how Phil had managed to write it without him noticing - but at the same time, Dan had been a little preoccupied, and he wasn't exactly famous for his memory.

All the same, he was rather excited that someone as amazing as Phil appeared to be interested in someone like _him_ , pastel sweaters and flower crowns included.

Apparently 'punks' could be just as nerdy, book-obsessesed - and positively adorable - as petal princes like Dan.

And that was something that Dan was very interested in discovering more about.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a quick (but not short apparently what the hell) oneshot to get me back into the writing mood as I've had to take some time off from writing due to health reasons (I'm fine now, nothing horrible, just an annoying migraine).
> 
> Not entirely sure how I feel about the ending...


End file.
